Former OU Football Superstar Named Finalist For Comeback Players of the Year

A former Sooner could soon get recognition for his NFL season.

Baker Mayfield joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a discounted contract last offseason. Evidently, he was running out of options when it came to having a starting quarterback role in the NFL. This was no fault of his own, either.

After a couple rocky seasons with the Cleveland Browns, which can be pointed to injuries, the team decided to move on from Mayfield and decided to trade for Deshaun Watson. This comes after Mayfield ended the team’s playoff drought, but he was then dealt a rough hand with the Carolina Panthers.

Mayfield then had a rough stint with the Panthers before being released — which allowed him to have a bit of a shining moment with the Los Angeles Rams. Eventually, this led to Mayfield getting a second chance with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — who needed a replacement after Tom Brady retired from the NFL for the second time.

On the season, Mayfield threw for 4,044 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns with just ten interceptions, posting a career year when given the opportunity. This even led to Dave Canales, his offensive coordinator with the Buccaneers, landing a head coaching job with the Panthers because the success they had.

With the bounce back season, Mayfield was named a finalist for the Comeback Player of the Year award, alongside Damar Hamlin, Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford.

Mayfield spent three years at Oklahoma after one season with Texas Tech. He posted 12,292 passing yards and 119 passing touchdowns to 21 interceptions with the Sooners. His career in Norman is legendary, hence the statue he has in the city along with a Heisman Trophy win that will be remembered forever.

Sooners fans aren’t shocked in the slightest that Mayfield was able to climb out of the poor situation he was dealt in the NFL to turn his career around and, evidently, extend his career in the league.

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